Q&A with Troy Rodgers: Wrestling HC at Albuquerque Academy
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A Q&A with Troy Rodgers, Albuquerque Academy boys and girls head wrestling coach.
How long have you been a wrestling coach? Have you coached other sports?
Troy Rodgers: I have coached wrestling for about 15 years (five at the high school level). I have also coached middle school and high school football (about five years) and youth baseball (seven years).
What do you like most about coaching the wrestling teams? What do you find most challenging?
Rodgers: I really like working with the kids and watching their development as individuals. We have the opportunity to meet them during their middle school years and then watch them grow for 7-8 years as they experience life. In many ways I feel like I help shape them into successful men and women. In terms of the challenges, it is often tough to watch them struggle with the disappointments they face. Wrestling is a particularly tough sport which requires time, dedication, a willingness to work through failure, and an overall unwillingness to quit. It鈥檚 great to see a kid overcome things and become successful.
Are most wrestlers multi-sport athletes? If so, what are some other sports they play?
Rodgers: About two-thirds of our wrestlers are multi-sport athletes. The other sports include football, soccer, track, and cross country.
Would you say there are particular characteristics of athletes who are drawn to the sport of wrestling?
Rodgers: Toughness and a willingness to work hard. I often tell our kids that we will work harder than any other team on campus and that is usually just in warm up.
What are one or two things that the teams do in training that are keys to success?
Rodgers: Repetition/mat time and strength training/weights. Wrestling is rarely something you are good at the first time you try it; it takes dedication, effort, and practice. The more you work the better you become. That is often tough for kids to comprehend because they want to be good at something from the start. The other key is having dedicated coaches and assistant coaches who spend time mentoring and guiding each kid in our program.
Is there a person who inspired you to play/coach this sport?
Rodgers: I have had a number of mentor/coaches in my life that have made a difference, but two in particular are John O鈥機onner and Kevin Carrol. Both emphasized the drive for perfection in everything we do, especially sports, but they also realized that sports are tools to develop children into successful, dependable, and good men and women. They talked about character and how to have it in both victory and defeat.
What was your proudest coaching moment?
Rodgers: I am not sure if I can pinpoint a proudest moment in my career. I have been fortunate enough to have many. I will say that every time one of my athletes exceeds their potential and meets an unlikely goal, I remember why I coach.
How do you encourage the teams after a disappointing loss?
Rodgers: Our team is a family, when we are on the mat we are serious, dedicated, and all business, but once the match is over or the practice is complete, we have fun. The outcome of a win is the goal, but there is so much more that we work for. The kids know that and, as a result, a loss is merely an opportunity to learn and improve.
What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned from being a coach?
Rodgers: Don’t take yourself and life so seriously. Life is about moments in time, experiences with people, and getting better at every opportunity. The games we play are merely tools towards that goal. Don’t get me wrong, we strive to win, but winning is not the purpose of competing. We compete to better ourselves and winning is an earned reward.
After graduation, how do you hope to be remembered by the team members?
Rodgers: My greatest accomplishment as a coach is when my wrestlers come back because they miss the team. I want them to see me as a mentor they can call for advice when they go to college or when they are struggling with a breakup. Every time they reach out it is a reminder that my coaches and I are positively influencing their worlds.
Do you have a motto about sports — or life — that you share with your teams?
Rodgers: Always give back, always learn from your mistakes, and always strive to be the best. In every setback there is a moral victory that you need to find.
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